Sunday, July 30, 2017

What's Up Now?!?

I finally completed my travelogue about my Big Road Trip from last summer just in time to share THIS summer's big road trip, and while I don't want travel to totally define my relationship with my wonderful daughter, Melody, it is certainly an important aspect of our lives.

In the past month and a half, since school let out for the summer, we had a quick musically themed adventure to Ohio, which included an incredible twenty one pilots concert we attended in Columbus; a stopover in Chicagoland for G-Fest XXIV, the largest annual gathering of fans of Giant Monster movies in North America; a weeklong road trip in the Pacific Northwest, which included Olympic National Park, the Oregon Coast, the Columbia River Gorge, Portland, Seattle, and Mount Rainier National Park; and, inserted in between, I took one of my numerous business trips to Oklahoma City. In addition, Melody attended a week at music camp, and a couple of weeks at Grace Adventures Day Camp. And, of course, we rode a bunch of roller coasters at Six Flags Great America just outside of Chicago.

As if all that wasn't enough, while I've been working around the house doing some renovations, Melody was invited to take an epic trip to New York City with our good friends from Grace Community Church.

Along with all of that, last night was my first opportunity to attend Grace after what seems like a month on the road, and it was incredibly stirring to witness seven individuals publicly proclaim their faith in our Lord by getting baptized! The stories they each shared were very emotional, and left me teary-eyed. It was a memorable evening.

My daughter is putting the finishing touches on the Ohio trip report, which I'll share here on the blog. In the meantime, I'm working on a series of entries about the big Northwest adventure. I don't think it will take all year to share, like the last one, because I'm anxious to write more often than I have over the past few years. Life moves pretty fast, and I love writing about it.

Howard County Blogger

Joe Versus The Volcano

Go Terps!

Go Bucs!

Go Pens!

Here We Go, Steelers....!

Favorite Quotations

Matthew 16:23 - "But he turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'"

Isaiah 41:10 - "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

1 Peter 5:10 - "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope."

Titus 2:7-8 - "In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

John 15:13 - "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Joshua 24:15 - "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

James 1:2-4 - "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

Luke 2:14 - "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

"Don't judge a man by where he is, because you don't know how far he has come." - C.S. Lewis

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence." - George Washington

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein

"You don't lead by hitting people over the head -- that's assault, not leadership." -- Dwight D. Eisenhower

"The future starts today, not tomorrow." -- Pope John Paul II

"No man is a failure who has friends." - Clarence the Angel, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

"Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life; enjoy it." - Jim Henson